Leaving Broadlea of Robgill B&B this morning meant we were also leaving behind the views of the northern Lake District hills. (Thank you Amanda for your donation).
We were soon back on route 74 which ran very close to the M6/A74(M) for all of today’s ride. At times so close to it we were practically on the hard shoulder!
5 miles into our ride, just north of the village of Ecclefechan about a dozen cyclists on their Day 9 of Lejog chatted to us while cycling by, closely followed by their support vehicle carrying all their luggage for them. (Not a luxury we have!)
As soon as they were out of sight we noticed the bright colours of more cyclists resting across the road. One of which had better cycling skills than us as he was riding a penny farthing!
The next place we rode through was the pleasant small town of Lockerbie where we were cheerfully wished good luck on our journey by a gentleman walking by.
Leaving Lockerbie the strong fragrance of freshly cut pine trees filled the air. The reason soon became clear as we first passed a wood chip fuelled power station, followed by many sawmills along the road.
When we were starting to get hungry we noticed a tranquil freshly cut rolling meadow, ideal location for lunch!
While we were packing up lunch a young deer appeared and quickly leapt a fence into the undergrowth.
As we were riding, the landscape was changing and becoming dominated by pine trees.
On a cycle path near to Moffat we had wondered if we had taken a wrong turn somewhere and had arrived at Toulouse, South West France!
Riding up away from Moffat we were joined by Kevin a local cyclist who had gone out for a bike ride rather than mow his lawn! He chatted and encouraged us up to the top of Beattock Summit where he bid us farewell and sped off back down the hill. Kevin was very generous with his donation towards the charities. (Thank you Kevin).
On the final part of today’s ride towards Abington the verges were amass with Scottish thistles.
Some buildings of character along the way.
Total distance today 45.5 miles
Total Hill Climbs 1,798ft
